UC Rice Blog

Every year, the University of California Cooperative Extension, in cooperation with the Rice Experiment Station (RES), conducts rice variety trials in several locations of the Sacramento Valley (fig. 1).

In California, most acreage is devoted to high quality medium grain varieties. In 2023, over 94% of the acreage was grown to medium grains.

Background White water fire (Bergia capensis) was found in September of 2023, by the Butte County Agricultural Commissioner's office in a rice field in Butte County. The weed was identified by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

California rice growers will have a new herbicide available this year: Cliffhanger, manufactured by Gowan Co. The active ingredient is benzobicyclon, which is the same as one of the two active ingredients in the currently registered herbicide, Butte.

UC Cooperative Extension will host a Healthy Soils Program field demonstration day on cover cropping in rice systems. The meeting will take place on Thursday, February 29th, from 9:30am to noon, on Staten Island in San Joaquin County (23319 N. Staten Island Road, Thornton).